Greystripe's Kitten Days
by Icetail
Summary: Greykit is a little kitten, that has little adventures, and has lots of friends. His goal in life is to become the first apprentice in the nursery. Join him in his struggle to reach his goal!
1. Chapter 1

Greystripe's Kitten Days

CHAPTER ONE

Greykit was awakened on a foggy morning by his sister bumping into him in her sleep. He felt that he wasn't ever going to be able to get back to sleep, so he got up and poked his nose out of the nursery, to see if anyone else was up. To his surprise, there was a lot of movement in the camp.

He longed to go out and join the fun, but he knew that if any cat caught him out of the nursery at this time of the morning, he would be in a lot of trouble. So, he decided that he was going to wake his mom up, so that he could go out and play.

He walked over to his mom, Frostfur, and nudged her in the belly. Nothing happened. She just rolled over.

"Mom?" asked Greykit quietly.

She mumbled something that Greykit didn't quite understand. Then, he made up his mind. He was going to go out himself. No one would ever notice him! thought Greykit. I'm as quite as a mouse!

He stuck his nose out of the nursery again, and sniffed the air, to see if any cat was near. Luckily, he could only smell cats in the distance.

So he ventured out of the nursery. It was a foggy morning, and it was hard, at first, to see anything, until his eyes got used to the fog. He decided to go visit the apprentice den, and see the apprentices.

But when he reached their den, he remembered that they were probably out training. He sighed, because he had always dreamed of becoming an apprentice before his brothers and sisters. But, this probably would never happen, because he was one of the smallest of the litter.

Then an idea came to him! Maybe if he could catch some prey for the clan, they would make him an apprentice! So he turned around, and crouched down low, so that no cat would see him, and walked over to the entrance of the camp. He was deep in thought of a big juicy mouse, when someone called out to him.

"Greykit!" called Bluestar, the leader of the clan. "What is a kit as small as you doing out of the nursery at this time of day?"

"I'm not that small..." he mumbled. "I was just going out to catch a mouse for the clan..."

"That was very wrong of you, Greykit. You know that you can only go out if your mother is out, and as far as coming to catch a mouse, you know that kits can n NOT hunt until they are apprentices." she said.

"I'm sorry, Bluestar, I just wanted to help the clan.." he mumbled.

"Well," said Bluestar softening, "I know that you meant well, but you must follow the rules."

Now, she continued. "Lets go and see your mother, and see if she knows if you are up."

She started walking towards the nursery. Greykit followed at a slower pace.

"Frostfur?" called Bluestar.

"Bluestar?" she appeared from the nursery, looking terrified. "Is that you? I just lost one of my kits!" the she saw Greykit behind Bluestar.

"Greykit fancied a walk through the camp this morning." said Bluestar.

"Oh Greykit!" wailed Frostfur. "How could you? You know I told you that you can't go out by yourself!"

"It's ok, Frostfur," said Bluestar reassuringly. "it's a mistake almost all kits make. Don't be too hard on yourself. We'll just let young Greykit, here off this time, but next time, you'll have to do chores for the elders."

She left after giving Frostfur a reassuring lick on the ear. Once she was gone, Frostfur gave Greykit a long scolding.

"I can't believe it, Greykit!" she said again and again. "I thought I had told you that you were only to go outside with me!"

"I'm sorry mother, I was just going to find a juicy mouse for the clan." said Greykit.

"Oh, and having Bluestar finding you and everything! How embarrassing! Well, don't you ever do it again." she laid down, and sighed.

"Mom?" asked Greykit timidly.

"Hmm?" asked Frostfur.

"Are we going out today?" asked Greykit.

"Later, maybe." she said pulling Greykit over, and giving him a good groom. He tried to pull away, but she was stronger. So in the end, Greykit gave up, and ended up get washed.

When Frostfur had finished grooming Greykit, and his siblings; Sunkit, a male orange tabby, and Moonkit, a black and white female kitten, she felt satisfied, and let them nurse from them.

After their breakfast, Frostfur told them to stay inside the nursery, with the other queens to take care of them. While she went to the fresh kill pile, to eat breakfast herself.

Once their mother left, Sunkit and Moonkit begged Greykit to tell them about what had happened that morning. While he was telling them his story, (in a very animated way...) Ravenkit, his best friend, came over to listen. He was a jet black kitten, with a very lively spirit.

After his tale was finished, Sandkit and Dustkit came over and said that they didn't believe a word he had said. (They were a very grouchy pair of kittens, and didn't get along very well with any other kits.)

"We don't care what you believe, Sandkit!" yowled Greykit. "We all know that you've had a big fur-ball stuck inside you since the day you could talk."

Sandkit hissed and spitted, and walked to the other side of the nursery with Dustkit.

"What a grouchy pair of kits!" remarked Frostfur, who had returned from breakfast.

"Frostfur," called Speckletail from the other side of the nursery. "Can you take care of my kits while I go and get some fresh kill?"

"Of course!" said Frostfur. "You go and enjoy, and I can take care of the nursery."

Speckletail trotted out of the nursery, with Sandkit right behind her.

"Sandkit!" called Frostfur. "You have to wait until your mother comes back."

Sandkit appeared again in the nursery, looking sour. She ran over to Dustkit, and started muttering.

Frostfur sighed. "That kit should get more discipline from her mother." she said.

When Speckletail finally arrived from the fresh kill pile, all the kits and their mothers went outside to play. Greykit and Ravenkit asked their mothers if they could go and see the camp, and they said that only if they were careful.

So the Greykit and Ravenkit ran around the camp trying to decide what to do. Finally, they decided to go visit the elders. All of the elders were outside their den, basking in the sunlight. And when the two kits appeared, they greeted them kindly. Greykit asked them for a story, and they agreed. The elder that was telling the story was Smallear.

"It was a cold night, and Bluestar was on her way back from the moonstone. She was with her deputy, Redtail. It was a clear night, and at the time, Thunderclan was not an ally with Shadowclan. And, as you know, to reach the moonstone, you have to go by the Shadowclan territory. But Shadowclan wouldn't hear of it. They said that they would never let them by. So, Bluestar said that she would find a way across, because she needed to get back to the camp as fast as she could. So, Bluestar and Redtail went a long way, just to find another way across." continued Smallear. "Well, when they finally reached the Thunderclan camp, they found it was a battle scene. Shadowclan had figured out that Thunderclan was very unprotected, and came and attacked. Luckily, we had some very strong warriors: Tigerclaw, Lionheart, and Whitestorm. But, with even the elders helping, we fought them off. There were some deaths in the process, not from our side! No, from Shadowclan. One of them was Ashtail. He was a great warrior, but at least Shadowclan retreated after his death. But from that day on, Shadowclan has not attacked us since!"

"That was the best story I've ever heard!" said Greykit in awe.

"That was cool how you all fought off Shadowclan!" said Ravenkit.

"Is is true that a cold wind blows through all the Shadowclan cat's hearts?" asked Greykit.

"Sadly, yes." said Halftail, another elder.

"Thanks for the story Smallear!" said Greykit

"Bye, young Greykit and young Ravenkit!" said Smallear. "Come and hear another tale whenever you want!"

"Bye!" said Greykit and Ravenkit in unison, and they charged back to their mothers.

**Authors Note: This is slightly AU, and I know that I got the mothers wrong, but please, no constructive criticism. So if you do give me "constructive criticism" then you will look a bit, well, stupid. No offense. And I also know that Greykit doesn't really, have any siblings in the book, but I think that it would be better if he did. And also, if you do have time to write such long reviews, then GET A LIFE!!!!!!! Please read and review! And remember, no constructive criticism!!!!!!!**

**-Icetail**


	2. Chapter 2

Greystripe's Kitten Days

CHAPTER TWO

When Greykit reached his mother, she said that they were to all go into the nursery for a nap. But as much as he objected, his mother forced him into going in. So Greykit and Ravenkit curled up together, sharing tongues, and purring. When they finally went to sleep, Greykit dreamt of becoming an apprentice. He had even had his ceremony, and was now keeping vigil for the clan, which was a ritual that all apprentices would have to have, after they became apprentices.

But his dream didn't last long, as his mother had woken both of them up, saying that she was going to go to the gathering, which was that evening. And that they were to stay with Speckletail, as all of the queens except Speckeltail were going to the gathering.

After Frostfur and the rest of the queens had left, a great idea struck Greykit. He turned to Ravenkit and asked,

"Why don't we follow them to the gathering?"

Ravenkit gaped at him. "What?"

"Yeah!" said Greykit. "It would be so cool! All the great warriors will be there! Come on Ravenkit!"

"But we'd get in so much trouble!" said Ravenkit.

"Not if they don't find out!" said Greykit mischievously. "Look Ravenkit, the nursery is so crazy right now, and Speckletail is so busy with all those kits, we could go unnoticed very easily! Come on Ravenkit! We'll just follow them, and then get back before they notice us being there!"

Finally, Ravenkit gave in. Greykit and Ravenkit followed their clan's scent very easily. They followed the clan until they were in Fourtrees, then watched in the shadows until the gathering started. It was hard to hear what the other clans were really saying, but they were enjoying just by looking at the different clans.

But, their enjoyment slowly came to a stop, when they heard harsh breathing in their ears.

"Well, well, well. What do we have here? A pair of kits, that should be in the nursery." It was Tigerclaw, a very fierce warrior from Thunderclan. "Now, what will Bluestar say about this? Come on, both of you."

He led them to the group of Thunderclan cats. Frostfur was only a few feet away, and Bluestar was still at the top of the rock, talking to the Windclan leader, Tallstar.

Tigerclaw cleared his throat and looked pointedly at Bluestar. She looked back curiously, and then jumped off the rock, and came their way.

"What are they doing here?" asked Bluestar looking annoyed.

"I have no idea." answered Tigerclaw.

"Why are you here, Greykit and Ravenkit?" asked Bluestar.

Frostfur heard Greykit's name, and looked over to see what was going on.

"Greykit? Ravenkit?" she asked running over.

"Why are you here alone?" she asked.

"You do know that kits aren't supposed to be here alone, don't you?" asked Tigerclaw.

"Tigerclaw, I will take care of this." snapped Bluestar.

"I can take them back to the camp," said Lionheart, who had appeared at Bluestar's shoulder. "And then, you can take care of their punishment."

Bluestar looked relieved. "Thank you Lionheart. Can you take care of this whole situation? I know you will give them a reasonable punishment. I must get back to the gathering. Oh and Frostfur, you can go with them, as Greykit was part of this..."

"Come on you two," said Lionheart with a flick of his tail. They followed him.

"It was very wrong for you two to have come." scolded Lionheart. "And for your punishment, you will do chores for he elders for five weeks. You have to bring them fresh kill three times a day, change their bedding, and take ticks and fleas off them. Or do anything else they ask you to do."

"We're very sorry, Lionheart. We just wanted to see the really famous warriors. Actually, it was my idea to do it, so Ravenkit shouldn't have to do chores for the elders, only I should." said Greykit.

Lionheart's expression softened. "I hope you two learn your lesson by your punishment. Now, you are to start your punishment tonight when we get there."

When they got to the camp, they went straight over to take care of the elders. Lionheart said that they were sleeping right now, and that they should not disturb them if they knew what was best for them. They found them awake, sharing tongues.

"Hello youngsters," said Dappletail. She was a very pretty tortoiseshell elder. "What can we do for you today?"

They explained that they had gone to the gathering, and that they would now have to take care of them. They both were talking very softly, because they were embarrassed, because knew that they had done something very wrong.

"That was very wrong of you. You both know that kits shouldn't be at a gathering!" said Halftail looking surprised that two kits as small as they were could even reach the gathering.

"I'm surprised that they didn't get killed." muttered Patchpelt, a very unpleasant elder.

At that moment, Frostfur came up to them, and looked surprised that they were talking instead of helping.

"Greykit! Ravenkit!" she said. "Talking won't finish the work."

She looked at the elders kindly. "What would you like these two kits to do for you?"

"Oh, I've got a tick on my back, and I would appreciate it if one of you could take it off with some mouse bile." said Dappletail.

"What is mouse bile?" asked Ravenkit curiously.

"Trust me, you do not want to know." muttered Greykit. He had had to take care of the elders before, and had lots experience in using mouse bile.

"Well Greykit, if you know so much about it, why don't you do it?" asked Frostfur.

"What? Me? Oh gosh! I hate mouse bile! It stinks." said Greykit.

"You can show Ravenkit how to do it, so that you both can have experience." said Frostfur lashing her tail in annoyance at her kit's behavior.

"What are you waiting for?" she asked as they stared at her in disbelief. "Go and ask Spottedleaf for some mouse bile, and bring it back."

The two kits turned around, and trotted to the other side of the camp, where Spottedleaf, the medicine cat, had her den.

They found her inside, mixing some herbs together with her outstretched claw. She was a beautiful tortoiseshell female.

"What can I do for you?" she asked kindly.

"Can we have some mouse bile for the elders?" asked Greykit.

"Of course. But what did you do to have to take care of the elders?" asked Spottedleaf curiously.

They explained about going to the gathering, an how they were caught.

"Well, that was very wrong. Heres the mouse bile you asked for. And Grey kit, I know how much you enjoy doing this, but don't get to carried away!" there was a friendly glint in her eye that they found comforting. She bounded away, leaving Greykit and Ravenkit to try and move the disgusting smelling mouse bile without touching it.

In the end, Greykit and Ravenkit decided to take turns holding it. When they reached the elders, they found them telling a story to the other kits. They looked longingly at them, but knew that they had to help, so they walked up to Dappletail.

"Here you are!" she said. "I was beginning to think you got lost!"

"Well, here we are." grumbled Greykit. "Where was this tick again?"

Dappletail showed them her back, and Greykit started to show Ravenkit how to take the ticks off.

"Look." said Greykit. "You have to rub hard. So that it comes off."

"Yuck. You two sure stink." said Sandkit, who had appeared from behind them, with Dustkit at her side.

"Sandkit!" yowled Speckletail from behind her. "You know that they are doing a punishment. Now leave them alone, you two."

Sandkit looked embarrassed, after she had been scolded, so she stalked off with Dustkit at her side, muttering darkly.

"Is this how you do it?" asked Ravenkit, who was so involved with killing the tick, that he hadn't even look up when the two grouchy kits had come.

"Yup," he said. "That looks great. Hey! We just finished!"

"You mean I just finished." corrected Ravenkit.

"Lets go and ask Lionheart if we have to do anything before we go and wash this wretched mouse bile off."


End file.
